BY BETH ENGLISH
There’s just something about a fresh start.
Every year, when Jan. 1 rolls around many of us feel invigorated. We begin the new year with resolve.
This is the year we finally will give up sweets, make it to the gym five days a week and follow a budget. We will work smarter and be more productive. We will come up with new ideas to push our company forward. We will become the best versions of ourselves.
And, inevitably, as the short days of winter drag on and the day-to-day grind takes its toll, it becomes harder to remember those resolutions. Cold weather calls for comfort food. Work deadlines sneak up and exercise falls by the wayside. In our busyness, we feel there’s no time for innovation. So, how do we navigate lasting change?
You can read about some of the most common New Year’s resolutions and how quickly they are broken on page 9. On the same page, you can find tips to make them stick. One of the first things to do is to stop calling them resolutions and start calling them goals. “A resolution, as the name suggests, is a resolve or determination to do something,” writes Marissa Nash on a Jan. 21, 2016, blog for Northern Business Consultants in Aspley, Queensland, Australia. “While a resolution is useful in providing a long-term picture of where you want to be, your goals are calculated steps you need to take to achieve this resolution.”
On a personal level, if one of your goals is to lose weight (and after all the holiday goodies and parties, this is high on many lists), consider the specific steps you will take to get there. Maybe you’ll want to up the number of steps you take each day. Maybe you’ll plan to fill half of your plate with veggies. One critical component is getting enough sleep each night. That’s a fun nugget to share with people outside the bedding world.
Beth English
Managing Editor
Of course, most of us set professional goals, as well. After reading Julie A. Palm’s story on cybersecurity, you might consider new steps to protect your business from cybercrime. After all, manufacturing was the third most-attacked sector in 2016. Keeping your business safe could begin with downloading one of the free programs listed.
You could resolve to manage your online reputation a little better this year and set aside time to respond to those who review your products.
Some may want to network more. Where better to do that than ISPA EXPO 2018? If 2016 was any indication, this event is sure to be a great way to meet people and reconnect with industry friends while discovering what’s new in components and machinery.
As for me, I’m still trying to figure out what goals I want to set for the new year. But I will set them. After all, there’s just something about a fresh start. Here’s to 2018!
